Pat Cummins has claimed 309 wickets in 71 five-day games with an stellar bowling average.
Australia's chair of selectors Bailey has declared that captain Pat Cummins will be a central figure in the upcoming England-Australia contest.
There were concerns that Cummins might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that was still troubling him.
Earlier indications from the squad suggested no official announcement had been made regarding Cummins' participation, with the five-Test series set to start on the 21st of November in Western Australia.
Bailey expressed that Cummins is "building up" and remained hopeful about the likelihood of participating.
"We know that the clock is ticking and there are permutations at play, not just his injury, but additional elements," he commented.
"It's positive. [We are] really confident that he's going to play a major part. With luck starting in Perth. If not, we'll reassess."
Past Concerns
The captain missed the ODI and T20 games against India and New Zealand last month after examinations confirmed a lumbar bone stress.
He has a history of back injuries, with recurrences in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 causing him to miss multiple domestic campaigns in four years.
The bowler mentioned he would be bold in recovery efforts in his rehabilitation process to ensure his availability for the Ashes.
Bailey noted that it was unclear if he had started his bowling workouts as part of his recovery but conceded it was "becoming urgent" for him to recover fully for the opener.
Backup Options
In case of absence, veteran batsman Smith will take over the captaincy.
The talented all-rounder was recently pulled out from Australia's squad for their ODI contests against India as a safety move because of soreness in his side.
The selector characterized it as a "small issue and confirmed that Green will play in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "in a good place to be ready to bowl."
"We put so much time has gone into developing the strategy for him to be available for the opening match as an dual-role player," the selector detailed.
"His involvement was limited to the starting games in any case. How he handles the willow in shorter formats, if it causes any delay for a short period, we opted to approach this more conservatively."
Match Calendar
The Ashes: Australia v England
21 November 2025 - 7 January 2026
